


Patient Is The Night

by hollywoodproblems



Category: Ouran High School Host Club - All Media Types
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Canon Compliant, Genderqueer Character, KyoKao Week 2019, M/M, alcohol mention, i mean amirite, its not addressed much tho its just kinda a thing that is true, kyokao, meeting/parting, ps kaoru is some kind of genderqueer and dresses in femme clothes and stuff sometimes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-12
Updated: 2019-06-13
Packaged: 2020-05-01 20:08:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,081
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19184722
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hollywoodproblems/pseuds/hollywoodproblems
Summary: KyoKao Week Day 3 - Meeting/Parting"Although he usually was in the habit of knowing everything, Kyoya didn’t know at the time that that moment had been the end of it all."Three times Kyoya and Kaoru pass by each other like ships in the night - and one time they lay anchor.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi guys sorry I'm late as hell but I'm working on the other chapters for this now lol enjoy 
> 
> also ps my name on fanfic.net is You.Are.Me all my kyokao is there but I'm working on porting it over

In the end, that last day just never came together. 

They all had been goofing around, then cleaning out the club room, then taking a tea break, then gathering their things and heading out to the courtyard to wait for their drivers. Photos were taken, inside jokes and hugs exchanged before the group drifted apart one by one (or two) to slip into cars and go their separate ways. It didn’t feel like the last time the Ouran Host Club would be together, but it was, and though some of the members weren’t really aware of it, others were. 

In the end, that last day had just built up too much pressure. How could something poignant be said while juggling an armful of old costumes or nearly spitting tea out the nose at something funny Tamaki had done? The moment had come: alone in the club room together, the others having gone on ahead, pin-drop silence filling the air. 

Glances were exchanged. Then a nervous chuckle between them both. Red tipped ears and licked lips. A step towards each other. A hesitation. 

“I suppose this is the end – oh.“

“It’s not like we’ll be strangers – oh.“

They spoke together – disappointed each other. 

“Of course we won’t be strangers.” Kyoya offers an unnatural smile, clearly working hard to navigate the mounting pressure between them. “Our families businesses certainly aren’t.” 

“Right…” 

Kaoru didn’t look any less disappointed – let alone charmed – and Kyoya’s smile melted into more of a perplexed frown. The twin frowned right back at him. 

“Aren’t you going to miss it at all, Kyoya-senpai?” 

Kyoya physically cringes when he looks back now on what his answer had been, that last fateful moment together. 

He had been doing a lot of soul searching about the Ouran host club – the place he’d found himself – and knew they both were acutely aware, and somewhat heartbroken it was now coming to an end. He had realized long ago Kaoru saw and thought a lot more than he let on and was probably just as knotted up in his head about the club and their found family and what they were all going to do now as he was himself. In his own way, he wanted to be some kind of positive, or comforting, or a leader for this person he knew – though not as well as he did now – he cared about. 

“It had its place in time for us, but it’s okay that that time is over, now. There’s plenty more ahead of us, too.”

He peered at the twin with a much coyer, though genuine smile. 

“I’m not your senpai anymore, Kaoru.”

Although he usually was in the habit of knowing everything, Kyoya didn’t know at the time that that moment had been the end of it all. Kaoru hadn’t been asking about the host club at all. But the twin had heard all he needed to hear in Kyoya’s answer.  

_ Aren’t you going to miss what we have at all, Kyoya?  _

That last day just didn’t go the way it should have. And eventually, the Ouran host club became an aging framed photo on a nightstand, and a group text only pinged about once a month, and fond memories visited in dreams before it was time to get up and go to work. 

It would be approximately a month after that moment in the club room before Kyoya would realize he had completely blown it with the person he almost had loved and who almost had loved him – far too late to take any of it back. What they had shared together became suspended in time with the rest of the costumes, and laughter, and teenaged years.  


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kyoya and Kaoru run into each other at a party, two years after the club has disbanded.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> plot twist kaoru is hot and kyoya is dumb also dont worry this will have a happy ending :) 
> 
> warning for very brief alcohol mention!

Kyoya stared down at the small puddle of rainwater beginning to pool between his feet, dripping down off the tips of the dark hair hanging in his face. The rhythmic  _ drip drop _ -ing seemed so much louder to him now than the room full of chattering businessmen and their families just down the hall, laughing and drinking and swaying to the beat of a mediocre lounge singer. If standing out on the balcony in the rain for who knows how long hadn’t brought him back to his senses, maybe this repetitive dripping could. Mostly, he just felt cold. 

 

_ “Reaching this new milestone for the Ootori business would not have been possible without my sons, Yuuichi and Akito.” _

 

Kyoya crossed his arms tighter across his front as he curled on the bottom step of the parlor stairs. It wasn’t the rain that was making him shiver. It was the humiliation. 

 

He was always so careful, so calculating, anticipating every awful thing his father might ever try on him, yet no matter how low he set the bar, it was always so much worse than he could prepare himself for. 

 

Photos were taken. Some of those photos were going to accompany news stories. They might even already be published. 

 

_ Ootori Surpasses 800 Mil Rev in H1, Announces Chairman at Annual Soiree _

 

Accompanied by a photo of Mr. Ootori standing beside his two sons, and one son sitting at the same table - unannounced, unimportant, but still in the shot - looking just a little surprised behind silver rimmed glasses.

 

Kyoya sighed. The tips of his ears still burned as he replayed the scene in his head, over and over. He kept his head ducked as he heard footsteps approaching, likely on their way to the bathroom or maybe just walking off a glass of wine. He hoped no one important would see him like this (as if it really mattered at this point). He stiffened when the person sunk down on the step beside him. Still he refused to look over, willing this random partygoer leave him to feeling sorry for himself. Then, they pressed a gentle kiss to his cheek, soft lips feather light on damp skin. 

 

Kyoya turned to them, completely taken aback. Honey eyes met grey, and Kaoru Hitachiin held out a small glass of clear liquid. 

 

“I wasn’t sure whether you’d want a shot or a kiss, so I decided to bring both.” 

 

Kyoya frowned back at the twin, still completely surprised. 

 

“Kaoru?”

 

He was draped in a kind of billowy silk dress shirt with deep, revealing open front, and dripping in silvery jewelry that jingled every time he moved. His hair was just a smidge longer and hung loose to frame his face, which was just a little more angled, a little more mature, though the glint in his eyes as he peered at Kyoya were just as the older remembered them. The most stunning thing about him were his lips - plumping and pouting as always but now painted a deep shade of plum. Kyoya brought a hand up to brush questioningly at his cheek, and Kaoru giggled.

 

“Don’t worry, it doesn’t smudge. See?”

 

He took Kyoya’s hand from his face and kissed the back of it to demonstrate. No smudge. The world seemed to be moving in slow motion for Kyoya. He took the shot glass from Kaoru, and downed it, with a tight frown. 

 

“Wow…”

 

Kaoru breathed, and Kyoya shot him a look for judging him, but the twin just grinned and shrugged. The older shook his head. 

 

“I… Didn’t know you were here.”

 

Kaoru leaned back on his elbows, accompanied by sliding silk fabric and clinking silver jewelry and glistening lips that Kyoya doesn’t look away from. 

 

“I’m not as recognizable without my other half,” he posited. 

 

Kyoya adjusted his glasses. There were a lot of things unrecognizable about the twin, right now. Kaoru laughed to himself. 

 

“Your brothers haven’t asked me a single question about you. Either they don’t recognize me, or they don’t think I know you as well, anymore.”

 

The pair grew silent. Kyoya cleared his throat. 

 

“Kaoru, I - “

“I’m sorry your father did that to you. I can’t believe he’s still such an asshole. I guess some things never change.”

 

A rare, sincere look passed between them. They were the same together as if they’d never parted, as if two years hadn’t stretched between them - and yet they were different, too, older, more sure of themselves, no longer nervous teens peeking at each other from across the club room. 

 

Kyoya took a deep breath through his nose. The party really did seem far away, now. 

 

“Thank you for the shot. And the kiss.”

 

Kaoru sighed again, his smile still as sad as when he’d mentioned his other half, though Kyoya didn’t understand why. 

 

Suddenly the twin pushed off his elbows again to sit up, grabbed the glasses Kyoya had set aside much earlier when he had still been dripping wet, and unfolded them in his hands. He turned to face the dark haired man and gently placed the glasses back on his face. 

 

“Kyoya.”

 

Their faces were inches apart. Kyoya’s eyes dropped down to dark plum lips, and back to the honey eyes across from his own. Suddenly he felt like a teenager, back in the club room, unable to make his dizzy head and thumping chest agree on what to do. 

 

Kaoru leaned in, chin tucking in, eyes slipping closed - and Kyoya jumped back, scrambling to his feet. 

 

“Kaoru I- “

 

It couldn’t be this fast - it shouldn’t be this easy - he  _ couldn’t _ just kiss Kaoru Hitachiin, not after two years, not in the middle of a business party, not cold and shivering and humiliated by his father.

 

“We can’t.”

 

He mustered, hoping it could say all that he was thinking - but the look Kaoru gave him was anything but understanding. The twin stood and turned on his heel in one fluid motion, hastily departing without another word. 

 

Maybe nothing had changed in the two years they had been apart. Maybe Kyoya would always be stuck under the thumb of his father, and his own pride. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kyoya is tired of passing by Kaoru like a ship in the night - it's time he lay anchor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for indulging me on this one! I just always wanted to try it out where Kyoya is the one really pining for once, and I think it turned out okay. :) LMK what you think!!

Maybe it was the wine, or the masks, or just that he knew almost no one else here, but for whatever reason, Kyoya wasn’t feeling quite like himself tonight. Or maybe he was  _ more  _ himself than usual. There certainly was a major part of him - a deep-set, perhaps even immature part of him - that  _ always _ wanted to approach Kaoru at a party, though he hadn’t allowed that part of him to have its way in years. Until tonight. 

 

It was a masquerade-themed gala for major donors of the modern art museum, and Kyoya had been sent as an Ootori representative - which just goes to show how little the event meant to his father. Indeed, Kyoya  _ did  _ feel out of place among the artists, actors and designers milling about the museum in gaudy outfits and gaudier masks. Even so, he seemed to bring a fresh element to conversations that the bored socialites were craving, and he had found himself putting his hosting skills to the test as he was bounced from chattering group to the next. There was only one person he hadn’t talked to, yet. 

 

He was going to talk to Kaoru. Something about this moment, tonight, at this party, felt like the right time to do it. Maybe the twin could sense it, too. He was standing alone near the center of the rear gallery wall, his back to the entire rest of the party as he took in the one, large framed painting before him. He had been lurking alone like that at least half the night. Maybe he anticipated Kyoya would approach him. He always had been the kind of person to sense these things. 

 

Kaoru’s silhouette was literally framed by the giant, gilded picture frame before him, backdropped by a wall of deep, swirling colors and still he easily outshone the work of art, Kyoya mused. The twin was draped in a gilded, floor length gown that hugged around his hips and dropped straight down, broken up only by the long slit in the fabric up to his thigh. Thin, golden, braided straps hung loosely off his shoulders and matched the golden, feathered masquerade mask on a long handle he used to hold it up to his eyes. 

 

Kyoya knew it was completely selfish to approach Kaoru, now. The twin was one of the stars of the evening, absolutely glowing from the praise his design had been showered in all night, practically floating on air as he drifted about the room and never looked Kyoya’s way. 

  
That was the way it had been between them, since that night Kyoya had pushed him away. Carefully dancing around each other whenever they were in public, offering only tight, polite smiles when in the same social circles, and stealing icier glances when they thought the other wasn’t looking. 

 

Kyoya knew he screwed up all those years ago - over and over again really, Kaoru had given him so many chances - and he knew the least he could do was just leave the twin alone and not make things any worse between them. But how long could they go on like this? No matter how many times they parted, they always seemed to meet again. They were orbiting each other, paths crossing endlessly. One of these times, they were bound to get it right - right? 

 

Kyoya steeled himself and made his way across the room towards Kaoru, who’s back was still to the party as he pursed his lips up at the painting. It was dark, a night scene set on the ocean, swirling dark waves licking at the steely bow of two ships that both seemed to glow in the moonlight. 

 

“Two ships passing in the night.”

 

Kaoru made his summation of the painting as he felt someone approaching from behind. He peeked over his shoulder at the man, lowering the mask he held to his eyes just enough that Kyoya saw the glint in them when he breathed in surprise, 

 

“Kyoya?”

 

“You mean you were leading with a flirty line like that without even seeing who was approaching?”

 

Kaoru replaced the mask over his eyes with a well-manicured hand and an unreadable expression. 

 

“You mean art appreciation is flirting now?”

  
“It is when you look like that as you’re doing it.”

 

Kaoru pressed his lips together, turning back to face the painting. 

 

“I’m pulling the weight for both of us, here. You’re not even wearing a mask.”

 

The corners of Kyoya’s mouth lifted. Kaoru was cute even as he criticized him. He had it worse than he thought. 

 

The dark haired man reached inside his suit jacket to pull out a simple, silvery mask and fastened it over his eyes. Kaoru peeked at Kyoya out of the corner of his eye, then turned to face him fully when he noticed the mask. 

 

“It’s my design.”

 

He sounded surprised, reaching out to gently adjust the mask to better rest on Kyoya’s face. Kyoya smiled. 

 

“Naturally I’d only buy the best, to wear to the party.”

 

Kaoru rolled his eyes and nudged Kyoya away, but it was more playful than anything. 

 

“Flattery will get you nowhere, Kyoya. I know you’re just a host.”

 

“That was a long time ago, now.”

 

Kyoya mused. Kaoru slipped the chain up onto one of his shoulders, only for it to slide off once more. Kyoya watched as it did, and Kaoru watched him. 

 

“Well I don’t think you’ve changed much since then.”

 

It wasn’t true, but Kaoru knew Kyoya wouldn’t catch him admiring the man’s dark, tailored suit and sharp jawline from behind his gilded mask. They both had done some growing up, and Kaoru couldn't believe Kyoya had actually gotten  _ handsomer _ , the asshole…

 

“I suppose that makes one of us - you’ve certainly changed.”

 

Kaoru stuck out his chin. 

 

“Yes. I have.”

 

He asserted, but even as he did, he crossed his arms in front of himself, a little insecurely. 

 

“But not as much as you might think…”

 

“I was hoping you would say that.”

 

Kaoru turned to Kyoya again, surprised by the answer. The dark haired man removed his mask to look at him plainly. 

“I was hoping you might still be the Kaoru that offered me a kiss and a shot to cheer me up the night my father humiliated me. I want to apologize to him.”

 

Kaoru lowered the mask from his face with a frown. 

 

“Kyoya…”

 

“I’m sorry I’m so late, but after meeting and parting a million times, I don’t want to wait a million more to make it right. Is it too late to accept that kiss, Kaoru?”

 

Honey eyes laid bare looked shocked, then pained, then something unreadable before Kaoru turned away. 

 

“Yes, it is.”

 

The twin’s voice was shaky, and it tightened something in Kyoya’s chest to have to hear that hurt again and know he put it there - but he wasn’t giving up. Kaoru took a step away but Kyoya grabbed his hand, not willing to part again. 

 

“Then allow me to offer you one, instead.”

 

Kaoru turned back in surprise, just in time to be pulled into a kiss - one that wouldn’t have been possible two years ago, or four years ago, between confused and broken teens who didn’t know how to love yet - not themselves, not each other. Kyoya’s lips were so much softer than Kaoru had pictured them to be, his fingertips so gentle as they brushed strands of hair away from the twin’s eyes. 

 

When they pulled away, all the pair could do was blink at each other. Then, Kaoru let out a nervous giggle. 

 

“Kyoya - you’re  _ really  _ late.”

 

The dark haired man couldn’t help but laugh, too. The pair instinctively turned back to face the painting, still hand in hand, hiding their blushing cheeks from the rest of the party.

 

“I know. I’m sorry.”

 

The pair grew silent, content to bask in the moment, relieved that their silent dance, their orbiting, had finally come to an end. Kyoya peered up at the painting. 

 

“Two ships passing in the night.”

 

He finally agreed with Kaoru’s assessment of the work. The twin nodded beside him, then pointed to a glowing spot just at the edge of the painting. 

 

“But I didn’t notice before - it won’t be night for long.”

 

Kyoya smiled to himself, then squeezed Kaoru/s hand, turning away. 

 

“Let’s stop staring at this painting. You’re the most beautiful work of art here, anyways.”

 

“Don’t be such a host, Kyoya!”

 

Kyoya nudged him with a laugh, not falling for it for a second. Kyoya smiled genuinely as they headed back into the thick of the party together - this time, without having to part.  


End file.
